It's pretty interesting that you would mention a naginata. It was the premiere weapon of choice for the battlefield for samurai. Their katanas were used mostly as a status symbol (which crest you had determined what family you or from or what honors you were given) or as a secondary weapon when a naginata wasn't readily available. Its popularity fell later when it began to be used as a status symbol for women in the samurai class.

Personally, I like any weapon based on a simple piece of wood like staves, nunchakus, and tonfas.